Apparatus for the drafting of textile fibers



May 18, 1954 Q H,

APPARATUS FOR THE DRAFTING OF TEXTILE FIBERS Filed March 5, 1951 AMBLER 2,678,472

2 sheets-sheet 1 Invenlor GEoFF-REY Hl 1 1. AMBLER By M, am@ v 71a/ A Homey,

May 18, l954` GQ H. AMBLER 2,678,472

APPARATUS EOE THE DRAFTING 0E TEXTILE ETBERs Filed March 5. -1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor GEOFFREY HILL. AMBLER.

Attorney;

Patented May 18, `1954 i APPARATUSFOR THE DRAFTING OF t TEXTILE FIBERS Geoffrey HilliAmble; Ilkley, England,` ass'ign'oru toArhb'ler? Superdraft Limited,A Yorkshire,` Eng land; ft-British company Application March 5, 1951, Serial No. 213,935"

Claims priority,4`` applicationGreat Britainh March 25, 1950 IU'CIainis. 1 y t Thiel-invention;- relatesA to` Adrafting apparatus foriyrthedrafting `of-` tea-tile.` bresl bythe method. of-fdrafting describedin;I U. JS. applica-tion Serial No. 151,136, on which Patent No: wasgranted June `9,A i953,r said application having been i a continuation-impart -of applicants application-SerialA Nol 18,524., filed `ApriI 2, 1948,--now abandoned in lfavor i of` `the` application for l said patent.: Whilstthis specification is particularly concerned with-.-the-;drafting of` rovings inthe final-,spinning operation, thelsame principles of draftingvcanbeqapplied to thetearlier stages of drafting intheipreparation` of. slubbings .and the finaleroving Afroxrr which `yarn is spuny and it is with` such apparatus forperforming such earlier stages' off drafting thai--A the 'present invention is concerned. Anobject ofthe inventionis to provide a compact intermediatewunit consisting of certaini-.parts `of theapparatus; and capable -of ready attachmentto the main drafting apparatus'.

In the preparation of slubbings, rovings and the like,` it is usual tocarry out a series of doublinga i. e. lifeedngvtwo' or more slubbings or the `like together tothe same pair of drafting rollers so asfto produce a single slubbing. 4For thesake of clarity in :this specication,,the material fed to the apparatus will. be referredto as "a ffslubbng and thematerial produced from the slubbing by the apparatusy according to the invention will be referred to as a roving Accordingl to the present inven-tion,= there is provided anintermediateunit comprising a main bodyadaptedior attachment to a drafting apparatustbetween feed and drafting` rollers, a series otzlowerintermed-iate rollers attached toa common shaft rotatablymounted. in the mainV body,

a series Aof* upper intermediate `rollers rotatably mounted intthe main body and each adapted to cooperate with a lower roller to receive a slubbingfrorn-thefeedA rollersand urge it towards drafting-frol1ers, andgearing for connecting at least the common shaft to driving gear in the drafting apparatus l Preferably, `the upper rollers-are also positively driven, eitherdirectly from driving gear. in the drafting apparatuslor by in termediategearing mounted inthe unit andconneoting the upper rollers tothe common shaft ofthe -lower rollers v Thetupper :rollers are llreferablyA individually mounted in supporting brackets pivotally mountedfon the unit-and arranged to swing upwardly for y threading purposes,- fthe bracketsfcarrying weights (or being `themselves of suiiicient weight) for. supplying the necessary pressure at the nips ofthe intermediate rollers. InsuchA acaso,` the upper rollersV mayube` vdriven by driving gears Secured to a common intermediate shaft itself 2 Lf driven through intermediate `gearing from thef common lower roller shaft (or from the drivingv gear in the drafting appar-atusll thesupporting.- brackets conveniently being pivotally mounted onf the common intermediate r shaft and each. carry-v ing intermediate gearing connectingthe upper roller tofits driving gear. l

Preferably, one intermediateroller of eachpairf e, g. the lower one-is provided with-fa pair of'l flanges between whichtheother roller runs-randY rests on the slubibing passingbetween. them,` the fianges boing apart a distance somewhat less than the free diameter of the slubbingtthe weights then causing the slubbing to `loe come" pressed between the rollers and-the flangeslinto a compact section that will allow` the initial twist the slubbing continuously to pass through the nip of the intermediate rollers.I Guides arepref-r erably arranged on the main body `for leadingfthe individual slub-bings intothe nipsof the respeci-` tive intermediate rollers. A series of channel-shaped members A or4 flumes" (one foreach `pair of rollers) maybe mounted on the main body forwardly of the intermediate rollers for the purpose describedin thespeciiic'ation mentioned above, anda series of similar rnembersmay be Amountedpnthe main bodybehind the intermediate rollers. l

`By way ofv examplefwa f drafting-i apparatus equipped with intermediate units` l accor-ding to the inventionlwill- `new be described in l-greater detail with referenceL to the accompanying drawJ ingsinvfhich i Figure 1 is a diagram in elevation ofthe salient features: of the drafting apparatus,` showing- .a unit in operative position,

Figure 2 isa diagramma-tic:plan:` of thenappa-l ratus shown in Figure 1'; i Figure 3 is an elevation of one sideofa unit with part ofthe front structure removed; l Figure 4 isa iront endfview of the unitshown in Figure 3; t Figure 5 is a `cross-section of` the unit. taken along the line 5-5 inf'Figure 3; l

Figure 6 is ari-elevation of the side ofi-the unit opposite to that shown -inFigure 3, with Ipartof the structure broken away;

Figure-7 is a cross-section ofthe unitttaken along the line l-Jl in Figure 5; Figurel 8 is a cross-'section along the line 8-8 in Figure 5*; Figure 9 is a plan of the unit partly in section and having parts ofthe upperstructure omitted, and

Figure l0 is a diagram showing the gearingffor` of the l unit taken l driving the intermediaterollers..

Referring first to Figures l and 2, Aa series of the nip of drafting rollers l1 and I8, the fourV drafted slubbings II being collected from the drafting rollers i1 and i3 and twisted together' to form a single roving I9 by a flyer device (not shown) of known construction.

The intermediate rollers i3 and I4, iiumes I6 and gearing for` driving theV intermediate rollers are al1 mounted in a self-contained unit according to the invention (indicated generally in Figures 1 and 2 by reference numeral ZI) which, as will be seen from later description, is readily detachable as a whole from the drafting apparatus for cleaning, repair or replacement purposes.

The unit 2I is supported in the drafting apparatus by means of a semi-circular bearing surface 22 formed on the lower surface of the main body 23 of the unit and arranged to rest on the upper surface of Va bearing member 24 forming part of the drafting apparatus, the bearing member-24 being secured to a support 23 extending lengthwise of the apparatus.

Referring to Figures 3 to '10, the lower rollers I4 are each formed with a pair of flanges 21 (see Figures 5 and 8) between which an upper roller I3 nts closely and rests on the slubbing I i passing between the flanges. The rollers I4 are secured to a common shaft 23 rotatably mounted in bearings in the main body Gears 2:3 and 3| are secured to opposite ends of the shaft 23. The gear 2S drives, through intermediate gears 32, 33 and 34 freely mounted in the main body 23, a gear 36 secured to an intermediate shaft 31 rotatably mounted in bearings in the main body 23. The gear 3| engages an idler gear 38 freely mounted in the body 23. The idler gear 38 (or the intermediate gear 32, as will be eirplained later) is arranged in engagement with a main driving gear 39 secured to a common driving shaft 4I forming part of the drafting apparatus.

v The upper rollers i3 are each rotatably mounted in a separate supporting bracket 42 pivotally mounted on the intermediate shaft 31, the rollers I3 being formed integrally with their supporting shafts to which are secured gears 43. Freely mounted in each bracket 42 are two intermediate gears 44 and 46 connecting the roller gear 43 to a gear I41 secured to the intermediate shaft 31. It will thus be seen that, as any bracket 42 is swung upwardly into open position (see Figure 3) for threading or other purposes, the gears 43, 44, 46 and 41 remain in constant mesh, the gear 46 merely rolling around the gear 41. The weight of the brackets 42 and their gearing is sufficient to supply the necessary pressure at the nips of the intermediate rollers, each bracket 42 with its gearing thus constituting an indi- Vvidual weighting means.

Roving guides `48 are provided for leading the individual slubbings II to the nips of the intermediate rollers I3 and I4, the guides being formed integrally with a common support 49 attached to the main body 23, each guide 48 being cut away to clear the flanges 21 of its lower rollerV The unit 2| is attached to the drafting apparatus by a pair of spring-loaded pins 54 slidably mounted in the body 23 and arranged toengage a corresponding pair of holes in a saddle member 56 forming part of the drafting apparatus. The pins 54 are actuated (to release the unit from the saddle member 56) by inward pressure on a pair of studs 51 extending from the pins 54 through slots 58 in the body 23. rI'he unit is thus readilyV detachable as a whole from the drafting apparatus.,

The saddle member 56 is in the form of Va frame embracing an extension 59 of the bearing member 24 in which is slidably mounted a pair of rods 6I and S2, the saddle member 56 being attached to the rods on each side of the extension 53 with the frame having its walls spaced from the extension so as to be movable with the rods relatively to the extension. A The saddle member 56 (with its attached unit 2 I may thus be traversed bodily in a direction parallel to the drafting roller axes by movement of the rods 6I and 62 in the extension 59. Y

As applied to a drafting apparatus of normal members in each section serves also as bearings for the common driving shaft 4I to whichy is secured a series of the gears 39 for driving the units, the common shaft 4I being driven by gearing (not shown) from a suitable driving member on the drafting apparatus. The gears 39 are arranged between the bearing members 24' and each serves to drive two units 2l (by engaging the gears 38 of one unit and the gear 32 of an adjacent unit) as illustrated in Fig re 10.

, The supports 2E of the various sections are connected to a common adjusting mechanism (not shown) by means of which the units as a whole may be adjusted towards and away from the drafting rollers, as required for different degreesV of draft.

What I claim is:

1. An intermediate unit for a drafting apparatus of the kind including feed rollers, drafting rollers and a driving shaft, said intermediate unit comprising a main body adapted Vfor attachment to the drafting apparatus between the feed and drafting rollers, a common shaft rotatably mounted in the main body, a series of lower intermediate rollers attached to said common shaft, a series of upper intermediate rollers each adapted to co-operate with a lower roller to receive a slubbing from the feed rollers and urge it towards the drafting rollers, a series of individual supporting brackets in which the upper intermediate rollers are rotatably mounted, an intermediate shaft, the brackets being pivotally mounted on said intermediate shaft and arranged to swing upwardly for threading purposes, weighting means on each bracket for supplying the necessary pressure-individually at the nip of each pair of the intermediate rollers, gears secured to said intermediate shaft for driving the upper intermediate rollers, intermediate gearing carried by each bracket for .connecting the upper roller mounted in that bracket to its intermediate shaft to the driving shaft in the drafting apparatus.

2. A unit as specified in claim 1 and in which one roller of each pair of intermediate rollers is formed with a pair of flanges between which the other roller of the pair runs and rests on the slubbing passing between them.

3. A unit as specified in claim 2, and in which a series of guides is mounted on the main body and arranged to lead the individual slubbings into the nips ofv the respective intermediate rollers.

4. A unit as specified in claim 3, and in which a series of umes is mounted on the main body forwardly of the intermediate rollers, the flumes being arranged in alignment with the respective pairs of rollers.

5. A'unit as specified in claim 4, and in which a pair of spring-loaded pins is slidably mounted in the main body for attaching the units to the drafting apparatus.

6. An intermediate unit for a drafting apparatus of the kind including feed rollers, drafting rollers and a driving shaft, said intermediate unit comprising a main body adapted for attachment to the drafting apparatus between the feed and drafting rollers, a common shaft rotatably mounted in the main body, a series of lower intermediate rollers attached to said common shafta series of upper intermediate rollers each adapted to co-operate with a lower roller to receive a slubbing from the feed rollers and urge it towards the drafting rollers, a series of individual supporting brackets in which the upper intermediate rollers are rotatably mounted, an intermediate shaft, the brackets being pivotally mounted on said intermediate shaft and arranged to swing upwardly for threading purposes, weighting means on each bracket for supplying the necessary pressure individually at the nip of each pair of the intermediate rollers, gears secured to said intermediate shaft for driving the upper intermediate rollers, intermediate gearing carried by each bracket for connecting the upper roller mounted in that bracket to its driving gear and gearing for connecting at least the common shaft to the driving shaft in the drafting apparatus.

7. A unit as specified in claim 6, and in which One roller of each pair of intermediate rollers is formed with a pair of flanges between which the other roller of the pair runs and rests on the slubbing passing between them.

8. Drafting apparatus comprising feed rollers, drafting rollers, drivinggear and an intermediate unit arranged between the feed and drafting rollers for adjustment towards and away from the drafting rollers, said unit comprising a main body attached to the drafting apparatus, a common shaft rotatably mounted in the main body, a series of lower intermediate rollers attached to said common shaft, a series of upper intermediate rollers each adapted to co-operate with a lower roller to receive a slubbing from the feed rollers and urge it towards the drafting rollers, a series of individual supporting brackets, in which the upper intermediate rollers are rotatably mounted, an intermediate shaft, the

brackets being pivotally mounted on said intermediate shaft and arranged to swing upwardly for threading purposes, weighting means on each bracket for supplying the necessary pressure individually at the nip of each pair of the intermediate rollers, gears secured to said intermediate shaft for driving the upper intermediate rollers, intermediate gearing carried by each bracket for connecting the upper roller mounted in that bracket to its driving gear and gearing for connecting at least the common shaft to the driving gear in the drafting apparatus.

9. Drafting apparatus comprising feed rollers, drafting rollers, a driving shaft and an intermediate unit arranged between the feed and drafting rollers for adjustment towards and away from the drafting rollers, said unit comprising a main body attached to the drafting apparatus, a common shaft rotatably mounted in the main body, a series of lower intermediate rollers attached to said common shaft, a series of upper intermediate rollers each adapted to cooperate with a lower roller to receive a slubbing from the feed rollers and urge it towards the drafting rollers, flanges formed on one roller of each pair of upper and lower rollers between which the other roller of the pair ts closely and rests on the slubbing passing between the flanges, a series of individual supporting brackets in which the upper intermediate rollers are rotatably mounted, an intermediate shaft, the brackets being pivotally mounted on said intermediate shaft and arranged to swing upwardly for threading purposes, weighting means on each bracket for supplying the necessary pressure individually at the nip of each pair of the intermediate rollers, gears secured to said intermediate shaft for driving the upper intermediate rollers, intermediate gearing carried by each bracket for connecting the upper roller mounted in that bracket to its driving gear, gearingl for connecting the upper and lower rollers to the driving shaft in the drafting apparatus, and a series of fiumes mounted on the main body forwardly of the intermediate rollers in alignment with those rollers.

10. A detachable intermediate unit for a drafting apparatus of the kind including feed rollers, drafting rollers and a driving shaft, comprising' a main body adapted to be located in the drafting apparatus between feed and drafting rollers, means on said body for detachably mounting it on the drafting apparatus, a common shaft rotatably mounted in the main body, a series of lower intermediate rollers attached in spaced relationship to said common shaft, a series of upper intermediate rollers rotatably mounted in the main body and each adapted to co-operate with a lower roller to receive a slubbing from the feed rollers and urge it towards the drafting rollers, a series of individual supporting brackets in which the upper intermediate rollers are rotatably mounted, an intermediate shaft, the brackets being Epivotally mounted on said intermediate shaft and arranged to swing upwardly for threading purposes, weighting means for each of the upper rollers for supplying the necessary pressure individually at the nip of each pair of the rollers, and gearing for connecting at least the common shaft to the driving shaft in the drafting apparatus.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

